Ship construction.



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A. PoPowlcz. SIIIIl CONSTRUCTION.l APPLICATION FILED APR. I3 I9I8.

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2 SHEETS--SIIEET l.

FIG; I

mmgpmm' A. POPOWICZ.

SHIP CONSTRUCTION.

APPucArloN FILED APR. la. |918.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS*SHEET '2.

ANDREW POPOWICZ, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SHIP CONSTRUCTION Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1918.

Application led April 13, 1918. Serial No. 228,469.

To all whom t may concern:

Be itknown that` I, ANDREW Porowroz, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ship Construction, of which the following is a specification.

The primary obj ect of the invention is the provision of a ship arranged for traveling in either direction, provision being made for covering the steering and propelling means at the forward end of the device in whichever direction the same is traveling while such means is in its open operative position at the stern of the ship.

A further object of the device is to provide identical propelling and steering means at each of the opposite ends of a ship arranged for selective employment during the travel of the ship in either direction, the propelling and steering means which are idle being suitably covered for affording a substantially unbroken hull portion at the bow end of the ship.

A still further object of the device is to provide a hydraulic stabilizer or ballasting means for a ship, the same being readily changeable in Weight.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a ship provided with my device, parts being illustrated broken away;

E ig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with substantially one-half of the ship shown in horizontal section; i

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken upon line 3-3 of )F ig. 1;

Fig. 41 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the guard device illustrated in its elevated arrangement;

F ig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken upon line 5-5 of Fig. 1; a

F ig. 6 is an enlarged horizontal detail sectional view showing one of the sliding connections between the guard and hull; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the said connection.

My invention is adapted for employment with any form of propeller-driven craft and is herein illustrated in connection with the ship 10 having similar opposite pointed ends 11 arranged for traveling in either direce tion. A cutaway bottom portion 12 is provided at each of the ends 11 in the hull 13 for accommodating a propeller 14 and a rudder 15 therein of any usual form and operable in any desired manner.

A V-shaped guard or plate 16 is slidably arranged upon each of the ends 11 of the hull for covering the adjacent cutaway portion 12 thereof when the guard is in its lowered arrangement and at which times that end of the hull will be rendered substantially unbroken with the propeller and rudder inclosed within the guard. The lowered closed position of the guard 16 is best illustrated at the left-hand end of Figs'. 1 and 2 of the drawings while the uard 16 is elevated at the righthand end thereof for exposing the propeller 11 and rudder 15 for performing the motive and steering operations.

Upright racks 17 are provided in pairs upon the guard 16 at opposite sides of the hull 13 and are provided with teeth 18 in constant mesh with pinions 19 journaled interiorly of the hull 13 and having suitable operating shafts 20 arranged within the hull. Tongues or tenons 21 are arranged transversely of the plate 16 in substantial aline` ment with the lteeth 18 slidably arranged within grooved brackets 22 secured upright to the hull 13 for the reception of the said tongues 21. From this detailed description of the invention it will be seen that when one of the guards 16 is lowered as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings the ship 10 may readily travel with this end of the hull 13 employed as a bow while the other end of the hull will be employed as the stern and the guard plate 1'6 thereof will be elevated through the mechanism hereinbefore described as shown in F ig. 4, the exposed propeller 14 and rudder 15 being utilized for propelling and bottom ofthe hull 13 upon which the guards 16 may rest when in their lowered positions for assisting in supporting the weight of the guard. The disadvantage in having the hull 13 moved through the water with one of the propellers la and rudders l5 idle at the forward end of the craft will be apparent as well as the serviceability of the guard i6 in covering such members at either end of the. hull 13 which may be employed as the bow of the ship.

A tank 25 is secured centrally within the hull 13 adapted to be filled with water or ether iluid 26 to the desired height for aifording the proper ballast or ballasting weight for the hull, a pipe 27 for renewing the supply of fluid to the tank being arranged as well as a draw-off pipe 28 for the purpose of reducing the quantity of fluid therein. The weight is therefore changeable at will and serves in this way to ballast the ship. The usual pilot houses 29 are provided upon the deck 30 of the ship l0 While tunnels 3l are also herein illustrated.

YV hat l claim as new is i. A device of the class described comprising in combination with a hull having a propeller and rudder at the end thereof', a V- shaped guard plate vertically shiftablc upon the hull adapted for inclosing the propeller and rudder when the said plate is in its lowered operative position, elevating and lowering means for the plate operable from a point within the hull, and guiding connections between the plate and the opposite sides of the hull.

2. A device of the class described cornprising in combination with a hull having a propeller and rudder at the end thereof, a V-shaped guard plate vertically shiftable upon the hull adapted for inelosing the propeller' and rudder when the said plate is in its lowered operative position, upright grooved brackets arranged on opposite sides of the hull inwardly of said plates, transverse dove-tail tenons arranged upon the inner side of the plate slidably positioned within the grooves of the said brackets, and outwardly projecting supporting members carried by the hull upon which the plate is adapted to seat when in itslowered position.

3. A device of the class described comprisino in combination with a hull having a propeller and rudder at the end thereof, a il-shaped guard plate vertically shittable upon the hull adapted for inclosing the propeller and rudder when the said plate is in its lowered operative, position, upright grooved brackets arranged on opposite sides of the hull inwardly of said plates, transverse dovestail tenons arranged upon the inner side of the plate slidably positioned within the grooves of the said brackets, projecting supporting members carried by the hull upon which the plate is adapted to seat when in its lowered position, upwardly eX- tending racks upon the plate in substantially vertical alinernent with said tenons, pinions upon the hull in constant mesh with the teeth of said racks, operating shafts for said pinions arranged within the hull, and guide straps carried by the hull overlying the said racks.

4. In combination with a hull having cutaway lower portions at its opposite ends, propelling and steering meanswithin each or said cutaway portions whereby the hull may be moved and steered in either direction, V-shaped guards carried by the hull adapted for positioning over the adjacent cutaway portion thereof at the forwardly positioned end thereof during the travel of the hull through the water, guiding connections between the said guards and hull, and means Jfor raising and lowering the guards operable from a point within the hull.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ANDREW POPOWICZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

